Ron and Hermione: Missing Moment
by lunalongbottom2448
Summary: Hermione looks back on her relationship with Ron and he almost tells her how he feels about her. A Deathly Hallows missing moment.


**Ron and Hermione: Missing Moment  
**  
It was late at night, and the sky was full of stars. Hermione Granger sat in the opening of the tent she shared with her two companions. She looked straight up in an effort to see the beautiful and bright orbs through the thick tress overhead.

She glanced behind her and into the tent to check on her friends. Harry was sleeping in his bunk, snoring slightly. Hermione smiled fondly and moved her eyes over to the other sleeping form in the tent. Ron Weasley.

Hermione's smile dropped a bit as she watched him sleep. She wasn't sure what to make of Ron lately. He had nearly broken her heart by leaving her and Harry, and she had prepared herself for the chance that she might never see him again. Then, only a few nights before, he had come back to them. Her first instinct had been to be overjoyed, but when she remembered the anger and hurt he had caused her, she immediately felt a strong urge to hit him. She followed that urge to the point of losing all reason.

After hearing that Ron had wanted to come back as soon as he left, Hermione forgave him a bit. How could she not? But she was still too furious with him to treat him kindly. She was stiff and slightly rude to him for a few more days, but once again her anger lessened when she heard the rest of his story.

When they had escaped from Mr. Lovegood's home after being chased by Death Eaters, Hermione had almost completely forgotten about her displeasure with Ron. In fact, she was ready to forgive him entirely. Although her mind was telling her that he didn't deserve her forgiveness, her heart was practically shouting that she had no choice but to give it to him.

Hermione had loved Ron for as long as she could remember, all the way back to that first day on the Hogwarts Express. She had walked into his and a Harry's compartment, looking for Neville's toad. The first thing she noticed about him was his flaming red hair and bright blue eyes. He looked completely different from anyone she had ever met before, and he fascinated her. She hid her fascination with her usual bossiness and superiority. The second thing she noticed was that he had dirt on his nose, and she would have pointed it out except for her interest in the magic he was attempting. He did a rather bad job of it, which she had no problem telling him. After an example of some proper magic and a short conversation (in which she did most of the talking), she left to continue her search for Neville's toad. She returned to their compartment later to tell the two boys to change into their school robes. She finally informed Ron about his dirty nose as she walked out.

Even though Hermione was too young at the time to fully understand it, she was attracted to Ron's fun-loving yet sarcastic personality. He was her exact opposite, and in a way, they balanced each other out. As the years passed, he managed to rub off on her slightly. She became less of know-it-all, not to mention a bit of a rule-breaker. And as he changed her, she fell for him more. It was in their fourth year that she finally started to realize what she was feeling for him. The Yule Ball was a painful memory, especially their fight afterwards. But it was during their sixth year that she fully acknowledged that she was in love with him. Between the poisoning incident and his relationship with Lavender, she was forced to accept her feelings for him.

Now, as she sat in the opening of their tent, gazing at a sleeping Ron, she couldn't help but start to wonder (for the hundredth time) if he had ever felt the same way about her. She knew he had been jealous about her and Viktor, but that didn't mean he was in love with her. She kept hoping he would come out and say it at some point, but this was Ron after all. If he reciprocated her feelings, he would never be the one to admit it. It would have to be her, but she was scared of the rejection she might have to face. So, both remained silent on the subject.

Hermione was broken out of her reverie by Ron shifting on his bed. It looked like he was waking up, so she quickly spun around to face outside again. The bed creaked as she heard him sit up and let out a large yawn. There was no sound from him after that, so she assumed he had fallen back to sleep. She turned to face him again, only to find him sitting upright on his bed looking at her closely. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, and she turned away from him again. She heard another, louder creak from Ron's bed. When she also heard the soft noise of his feet padding across the floor, she knew he was coming over to her. She was proved correct as he sat down next to her on the ground. They were both silent, the only sound being Harry's continuous snores from inside the tent.

"Hermione—"

"Ron, I—"

They had started to talk at the same time. He looked at her nervously as if she would hit him again for interrupting her. However, she only smiled at him and said, "You first." Realizing that her tone was friendly, Ron quickly launched into a long winded explanation.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry! I never wanted to hurt you; I don't know what I was thinking! Actually, I wasn't thinking at all, I was just being a git! Like I told you before, as soon as I left, I wanted to come back. But I couldn't, and every minute since then I've been missing you... and Harry of course! And when I finally came back, I guess I was expecting some sort of a royal welcome, or something. But I was just being stupid again, and I deserve every bit of criticism you've given me since! Please forgive me, Hermione!"

Hermione was slightly speechless after Ron's apology. It was so unlike him to be this expressive of his feelings! It took her awhile to regain her voice, but when she did, she talked in a soft tone.

"Ron, I just want you to know that I forgive you."

Ron didn't seem to register what she had said for a moment, but he eventually looked at her in confusion. "You do?" he said, obviously surprised. Hermione smiled at him again and replied, "Yes, I do. I had already mostly forgiven you after you told me your full story. And that wonderful apology just now certainly helped!"

A grin was starting to appear on Ron's freckled face. His blue eyes lit up a bit as he said, "Hermione, I think there's something you should know! I've always—"

He was cut off by a loud creak from Harry's bunk inside the tent. Ron and Hermione turned around, expecting to see their friend awake and sitting up. But Harry had only rolled over, and he showed no signs of waking up anytime soon.

Ron and Hermione both turned to face outside again, and Hermione immediately asked, "What were you saying Ron?" A strange (and rather sad) look had replaced Ron's previous smile, and he said, "Nothing. It's not important."

Ron had been planning on confessing his love for Hermione, but being reminded of Harry's presence had robbed him of his momentary courage. He silently berated himself for being such a spineless git before he continued, "Just forget I said anything, okay?"

Hermione nodded reluctantly and replied, "Alright." She had thought that he might have been about to say something that she had been fantasizing about for years. But either she was horribly wrong and he liked her only as one of his friends, or he had suddenly changed his mind about expressing himself. Whatever it was he had been about to say, she wished he would just come out with it. The curiosity and hope she felt were overwhelming.

Ron noticed Hermione looked troubled, and he automatically felt guilty. He wanted to tell her, but what if she just laughed in his face? He didn't want to take that chance, so he said nothing. However, it felt wrong not to give her any sign of his affection, especially if she loved him too. He thought for almost an entire minute, the two of them sitting engulfed in the awkward silence. Finally, he leaned over and kissed Hermione lightly on her cheek.

Hermione's eyes widened, and she quickly turned to look at Ron, but he had already stood up and was walking back to his bed. He laid down with his back to her, and she had only watched him for a few seconds when she heard a quiet, "Good night, Hermione." She beamed at him, even though he couldn't see it, and whispered, "Good night, Ron." She couldn't see the enormous smile that had appeared on his own face, but she saw him relax in his bed, not quite as stiff as he had previously been.

Hermione Granger looked back outside and proceeded with her star-gazing, the spot where Ron had kissed her still lightly tingling. Maybe it was just her, but the stars seemed even brighter than usual tonight.

THE END


End file.
